THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11727, 3 September 1902, Page 2

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS.

. To the Editor. Sir, —Your correspondent "Pro Veritate" is in; a further flutter lest the doctrine of j the inspiration of the Scriptures should be believed in, and taught to the children attending bur public schools. He almost implores the "good," "sincere," "well- ! meaning" people who are conducting this agitation not to do such an awful thing as that. Your correspondent would have done well to dtefine' his own position. Is he a Secularist, «r an Agnostic, or an Atheist, oir a Buddhisti. or a Confuscian, or a Mahomedan, or what? If he i& any of these, and if he has children, and if the proposal to teach Scriptural truth in the schools be earned out, he will of course withdrawn Ms children during the Scripture lesson. Buif surely he ought not to break his heart if other people ("nonrthinking," as he dubs them) desire their children to hs> educated in their beliefs. Let "Pro Vritate" go his own way. We have cut our wisdom teeth, and probably think just as intelligently about the welfare of our children as he (or she) does. I may say that I have read Lame's book, "Mod-ern-Science and Modern Thought," which was lent me by a friend. The part devoted to science was gofod and enjoyable, but the part devoted to the demolition of the doctrines of Christianity was; as poor stuff as ever I wasted time over, and vealed the fact that the author was very poorly read in the Scriptures. Like most of his class, "Pro Veritate" has most (probably read only the other side, as Mr. Laing appears to have done.—l am, etc., A BELIEVER IN SCRIPTURAL INSPIRATION.

To the Editor. Sir, —"Vindex," in his ar.swer to "Pro Veritate," speaks of his bombast, ignorance, conceit, and blasphemy. I am astonished at anyjoine stating that "Pro Veritate's" letter showed conceit, bombast, or ignorance. Ais to blasphemy, it is a. peculiar word, and its meaning alters' according to the state of knowledge of the times. As to "all Christians knowing as living, eternal verities the two fundamental facts" which P.V., in his blatant folly and ignorance dares to deny, I really cannot tell what "Vindex" means; hut I protest against the word "blatant," at* that is only answer by abuse. As to the divinity of Christ, whilst many of his c/wn sayings show that at times He claimed to be divine, yet many of His other sayings c&em as though Ha himself disclaimed it. P.V. need not consider himseli on the same level as the bruts creation, and yet. be perfectly justified in holding the views he does, and also claim the (privilege of making them known publicly. "Vindex" also says that P.V.s letter "is absurd and illogical." If being illogical is anything, then "Vindex" will be very surprised prehaps to hear that all Christians, except the Catholics, are illogical—fthat is, oi believing the Bible toi be the inspired Word of Godl, and, as such, literally true; and acting accordingly in religious matters. In the 14th chapter, 16 and \1 verses, St. John's Gospeil', it is said : "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with, you foir ever. Even the spirit of the truth," etc., and again in the 26th verse: "But the Comforter, who is the Holy Giiost," etc. In this there is the promise of the Holy Ghost—the spirit of truth abiding for ever, etc. Most Christians dd not act as though they believed this! promise; only, so far as I can see, do the Catholics, who rely and have always relkd on these ;piromis*.s'. Protestant Christianity only came into existence when, on account of what they conceived t« be abuse* of the Catholic Church, they concluded that these promises were not to be relied on; and so such a revolution in religion took pi'ace, called by us the Reformation. Do "Vindex" and "Common Sense" both believe the 12th verse of the same 14th chapter of John, which says! that "He that believeth on Me, the work? ijiat I do ho shall do also; and greater work?," etc. If they do, will they tell us how it is that all difficulties that assail us in our daily liveis are not miraculously deait with ; for I suppose they claim that they are true believers. If we are to believe all the Scriptures tell us implicitly, then I canno'b understand why Protestants do not believe in relics and purgatory. For the former sea Acts 19tn chapter, 12th ■verse, where it says that handkerchiefs And aprons that were brought into contact with St. Paul's body were used for supernatural purposes', and alf*> the narrative in tihe Old Testament about the burial of a dead man in Elisha's grave, and! when the dead body came into contact! with Elishfi's dead body it became a/.ive; showing mirac\iiou3 virtue in Elisha'si bones. For jrargatory see Mark 9th chapter, 49th verse. A*, to Mr. Gladstone, hia was as poor a theologian as lie Avas in politics in his dealings with foreign affairs. As) to the "Bible being the foundation of our national greatness and the Very charter of our liberties." if it is so. it is because for «ome centuries we have not blindly believed! it, in its integrity in the first place, whatever charter of the liberties of white, actual Britishers it has been, it has been the very opposite to thij blacks Avhom Englishmen held as slaves, for the very system of holding bond slavey Was justified fiir many geniarations on the ground that it was in accordance with Holy Scripture, and was upheld in sermons from the pulpits. It do not believe that the Bible can be taught fairly or in any adequate way without trending on the doctrines which wtf.l be repugnant even to some of its advocates, and that is the reafjon I have put it the way J. have done in the above. — I am, etc., SEC(JLAR EDUCATI ON.

To the Editor. Sir, —A letter signed "Pro VeritaW' in your issue of this" morning contains the following rhetorical question, "Is it right, is it moral, that we should take advantage of a poor child* immature intellect, and teach him to believe in what is not true?" This betrays a confusion and an assumption May I attempt to clear thiei one and comment "en the other? The confusion lies in the words "teach him to believe ln..^ They mix up "knowledge" and "faith. In the matter of l^ole in schools a distinction must be made between "knowledge" and "faith." The State schools of this country strive to teach "knowledge,^ they hardly attempt to teach "faith. Rightly or wrongly, we have committed "faith" to the care of parents and ministers ; "knowledge," and with it "training of the mind," we. have given ta the schoolmasters. This distinction i«t not accurate in all details, but it. is real, and) it is very important to those who are promoting Bible teaching in schools. For their comri.tiint is that the children have no knowledge of the Bible. The ministers say We cannot teach, our faito because the necessary foundation of knowledge is wanting The parents feel that faith and morality alike are being lost in the growing darkness of our increasing ignorance. Tlie question, is that schoolmasters teach V.IV knowledge. To ask them to teach n , "ormula of belief founded thereon and irahM-.i regard to what they thtetmselves be-

lieve would be foolish and impertinent. The assumption made by "Pro Veritate" in the words "not true" is' remarkable. It is also complex. He assumes that the inspiration of the Bible is equal to that of Shakespeare. He assumes that tihe divinity of Christ is equajl to that of the founders of t|:her religions. He assumes that nine out of ten educated people agree with him in this. (Will he pease define "educated"'?) Moreover, ha assumes that these assumptions are held for truths by "the greatest- and noblest thinkers of the> day." For my part, I do not think thirc good enough. Nor am I prepared to agree with Mr. Laing in many more of the opinions for which, by the way, he is careful to claim the sole responsibility. I enclose mv card and remain, etc. —■ MATHEMATICIAN.